roberts



E. L. ROBERTS.

Car Heater and Ventilator.

Patented Aug. 18, 1868.

QQGQQ 1 MPETLRS, PHOTU-LITHOGRAPHER WA hmmon D t E; -L. ROBERTS, OF NEYW YORK, N. Y.

f Letters Patent No. 81,211, dated August 18, 1865;.

APPARATUS FOR HEATING AND VENTILATING RAILROAD-GARS.-

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To ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, E. L. ROBERTS, of the city, county, and State of New York, haveinvcnted a new and useful Improvement in Means for Ventilating and Heating Railroad-Cars; and I do hereby declare that the following is a'full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will'enable thosc skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming'part of this specification.

I The nature of this invention relates to improvements in means for ventilating and heating railroad-cars,

the object of which is to provide ample and thorough automatic ventilation by a supply of pure airreceived from the external atmosphere in advance of the train, beforeithas become foul by the smoke discharged from the locomotive, or the dust raised from the bed of the road by the train.

The fresh air so received is designed to be conveyed along the train, from car to car, in tubes suitably arranged, and'to be distributed, as it is discharged into the cars at or near the top, by passing through numerous small lateral tubes or openings into the cars, from the main tubes, whereby it may be distributed as much as possible over the whole upper space of the car.

io cause the supply so received and distributed to produce the best possible effects of ventilation within the car, it is designed to provide means for inducing it to flow in a downward direction, in a uniform volume, to the floor, passing out thereat through numerous and evenly-distributed passages, communicating with exhaust-tubes under the car, so arranged as to createa sufiicient draught to effect the above-described descending flow of the air, advantage being taken of the facilities for accomplishing the same afforded by the rapid motion of the cars.

- It is further designed to provide a means for heating the air so received before discharging it into the car, when the temperature is such as to require it. i i

- For this purpose, the tubes which convey the air from tho receivingapparatus, may be passed through forthe distance of one car, larger steam-heating tubes, arranged, by preference, upon the haggage-car,.wherein a. steam-heater maybe placed, and the'steam therefrom conveyed to the enveloping heating-tubes, through which the air-tubes pass; or the steam may, if preferred, be taken directly from the locomotive, whereby the air for all the cars may be heated by one heater.-

The plan thus above set forth, it is believed, is the most feasible, and presents the best facilities for accomplishing thorough ventilationand safeand'economicalheating, .of.all heretofore devised.

It may be carried out by various arrangements of means, governed, howeveryby the same'general principle.

The various plansand devices at present in use afford but very imperfect ventilation, and the same is also true ofth-e heating-facilities as at present used in all or nearly all railroad-cars.

As at present arranged, a few valves or. registers are placed in the sidcsof the car s, near-the top, 01 in the side walls of an elevated recess in the top of the cars, which may he opened or closed by the conductor or passengers, or the windows maybe raised, which affords but poor results, as, in consequence of the car being already full of air, more cannot flow in to any material extent, in the absence of any regular means for that which is in to flow out.

As a temporary expedient, the windows on each side may, it is true, he raised, when, if the wind happens to be blowing against the side of the train, a current will blow through, but as it will be in a plane about even with the heads of the passengers, they are greatly endangered thereby.

Moreover, the air so introduced is gencrally'intolerable, in consequence of the smoke and dust which become mixed with it, in consequence of which the windows and ventilators are generally kept closed, and the passengers are compelled to ride in the most intolerably-ventila-tcd andheated cars. I y

The means which I have adopted for carrying into practical use the before-mentioned plans of ventilating and heating cars, consists in one or more discharging-tubes,arranged to take the air from the cars through passages distributed through the floorof the car, by means of a draught created therein by the partial vacuum arising in the tubes from the rapid motion of the same through the air, having the front ends closed and the rear ends open;'both the supply and exhaust-tubes being provided with suitable valves, properlyarranged to open and closethe ends of the tubes, as may be required, to admit of the cars beingmade up into trains or detached therefrom, and to run in either direction, as the various requirements of the service demand; and

the supply-tubes being provided with suitable connectingjoints,whereby the proper connections will be effected whenever the cars are coupled together.

My invention also consists in the arrangement of a heating-device in combination with the supply-pipe,

wherehy'the air may be properly heated before being discharged into the cars.

In the accompanying drawings 7 Figural represents a train of cars with my improved ventilating-apparatus attached thereto, and partly shown in' section, and

Figure 2 represents the application ofmy improved hcating-device.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A represents a receiving-pipe, provided with a bell-moutlnand which may be arranged upon the train, as

shown in the drawings, upon the top of the locomotive, with the mouth projecting beyond the smoke-pipe, or, as shown in red lines, with the mouth protected by the cow-catcher, or it maybe that the bell-mouth need not be carried forward farther than the front end of the tender, the essential featurebeing that it be so arranged as to receive a-supply offrcsh air, from the direction in which the train is advancing, before it becomes mixed with the smoke and dust of the train.

The said supply-tube may'be continued along the train from car to car by suitable yielding connections between each car, either upon the top, or along the sides near the top, or they may be within the car near the top. a

13 represents lateral tubes, opening from the supply-tubes A into the cars atthe top.

These tubes 'or openings shouldbe very numerous and of small size, whereby the air may be thoroughly distributed'over the space of the top of the car.

' They should, however, be of sufiicient area to admit a copious supply for thorough ventilation.

The'tubes may, if preferred, be flattened on their lower sides, or made in a form to spread cbnsidcrahly, over the surface, and the flattened part numerously perforated.

They should also be-pro-vided with valves, 0, at each end, so arranged as to be kept open at all parts of the tubes, except at the rear end, which may be closed by the conductor previous to startinghis train.

'An automatic valve, D, should alsobc arranged in the supply-tube, for-regulating the supply.

Another valve, D, may'alsoh arranged behind the-valve D, so as to raise and allowthe air to escape, in case of too much pressure in the supply-tube. v

E represents an exhaust-tube, which may be arranged under or on the floor of the cur, having numerous passages opening into it from the interior of the car, through or near the floor, and of a length about equal to the car.

It is provided with valves, F, at each end, so arranged as to be automatically closed at the front end and opened at the rear end of the car by the action of the current of air when the car is in motion.

The partial vacuum created at the open rear end of these tubes by the rapid motiolrofthe car, creates a draught through them, having for its supply thevolumc of air within the car, whereby a draught is created, sufiicient to cause the inflowing air to flow downward to the exhaust-passages into the said tube, carrying with it the impurities emitted from the occupants of the car. I

Maintaining, as it does, a flow throughout the whole space oft'li'c car, there can be no stagnant strata of impure air, or of a different temperature from that of the strata in other portions of the car, asis the casein the present mode of heating and ventilating.

G represents a heater, which I prefer to locate in the baggage-car, which issupplied with water for gene rating steam in a suitable manner, and pipes for conducting the steam to the heating-tubes H, through which the air-supply tubes are conveyed, whereby the air may be suitably heated in cold weather, beforeit is discharged into the cars.

The supply-tube, where it passes through the heating-tube H, may be corrugated longitudinally, or pro- .vided with deep narrow grooves, for the plTFpose of affording a greater radiating-surface.

I represents a return-tube, by which the water of condensation may be returned to the heater again.

'Ihc'air so heated may be regulated to any desired degree of temperature, and governedby one attendant in the car where the heater is arranged'for the whole train, whereby the expense of heating will be very much cconomized, and thcroom now occupied in each car by stoves saved for the occupancy of passengers, and the danger to'which the cars are. exposed from fire in cases of accident very materially lessened, while the cars will be much more thoroughly d if l heated as, when the cars are heated by stoves in the usual manner,

the heated air immediately rises to the highest part of the car, while the bottom remains very cold, causing a great difference of temperature between the; top and bottom of the ear, exposing the different parts of the body to these diil'erent temperatures, whereas, by my improved plan, as above described, the car must be heated and supplied with fresh air in all parts alike.

Instead of generating the steam in a separate heater, it may, if preferred, be taken from the locomotive, and conveyed by suitable pipes to the heating-tube II.

Air may also be used for heating the supply-pipes, instead of water, if preferred.

Two or any other convenient numberof supply and exhaust-tubes may be used.

I prefer, however, to use two of each, one on each side of the car.

' I claim as new, and desire to secure by /Letters Patent-- 1. The combination, with railroad-cars, bf the exhaust-tubes'E, provided with valves, arranged substz n- 'tially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination, with the supply-tubes A, of the steam or air-heater G, and heating-tube H, and the pipe connecting the heater to the heating-tube, substantially as and for the purpose described.

' The above specification of my invention signed by me, this 24th day of April, 1868.

E. L. ROBERTS. Witnesses:-

ALEX. F. ROBERTS, J. M. CovmsToN. 

